Chapter 4
Jester looked at Smokey, the warm wind blowing through their fur outside in the back yard. He sighed and shook his little head.
“It am no use.” Jester explained. “No one ebah escape from dis peace befowe.”
“No one ebah twy eivew.” Smokey added. “I will be dah fiwst to escape. Need to go sabe Wosie. Sissy might be in twoubwe.”
Jester puffed his cheeks and nodded. “A nobwe qwest. Jewstew wiw hewp, but we hab to wait until dawk time when Janet asweep.”
Smokey nodded in agreement. “Otay. We will wait untiw dawk time.”
Onion couldn’t help but overhear. “Nuu! Scawy! Pwease don’t wun away Smokey! Onion scawed!”
“Don’t wowwy fwend.” Smokey said reassuringly. “Smokey wiw be otay.”
Onion’s eyes welled up with tears, biting his lip to hold back his cries. “Otay, best fwend. Onion wiw hewp.”
“Danku, best fwend.” Smokey said with a smile. “Wets get to wowk.”
“Fiwst ting is fiwst.” Jester said as he drew in the dirt with his hoof. “Janet woks da doows at night so we can’t gu out dat way.” He explained.
“What about da windows?” Smokey suggested.
“Dey get woked too.” Jester sighed. “Aw except one. But it’s high above da fwont doow and wiw be hawd to weach.”
“What about da waddew?” Onion chimed in.
“What waddew?” Smokey and Jester asked.
“Dew is a waddew in da cornew by Janet’s desk. It is a witte bewwied with boxies but we can move dem!”
“Bwiwiant!” Janet said as he continued to draw in the dirt. “We push da waddew ovew to da doow and den smokey can cwimb out!”
“What about da ovew side?” Smokey asked. “It too faw to jump fwum da window.”
“We wiw need sum wope.” Jester replied. “Den you can use it to cwimb down safewey.”
“Da chwismas wites!” Onion suggested. “Dey awe in da boxies by da waddew!”
“Pewfect.” Jester smiled. “Den dats ouw pwan. Push da waddew by the doow, use da wites as wope, and Smokey can make his escape to go sabe Wosie.”
Smokey and Onion nodded in agreement.
“It wiw be a pewiwous jouwny.” Jester sighed. “Ou shouwd pack a bag of nummies to take wif ou.”
Onion was quick to agree. “Ou can hab my dinnew nummies!”
“Mine too.” Jester added.
“Danku, fwends.” Smokey said sincerely. “Smokey nebew forget bestest fwiendsies.”
They spent the rest of the day going over the finer details of their plan. Soon evening was upon them and Janet was brining them in for dinner.
As promised, Onion and Jester saved their kibble for Smokey and all three of them waited patiently for Janet to go upstairs. The other fluffies gathered into their usual fluffpile and fell asleep, leaving our three heroes alone in the dark room. They headed over to the toybox first and pulled out a small backpack they could strap to Smokey’s Back. They filled it with kibble and made sure it was on tight and secure.
Next they made their way to the ladder. Two boxes were in the way. One was light and filled with Christmas decorations. They pulled the lights out to use as a rope as planned. The next box, however, was full of cleaning supplies and was much heavier. It took all three of them pushing with all their might to slowly get the box out of the way.
There it was, the ladder. It was an old wooden type, and was surprisingly light. They were able to pull it open and push it to the front door without making much noise. Smokey climbed up, caring one end of the lights with him in his teeth. He reached the window and looked outside. It was a full moon tonight and the empty parking lot before him was well lit.
He gently pushed the window open, its old hinges quietly squeaked. Next he flung the lights out the window so that they dangled down below while Jester held them with his weight on the other end. Now came the hard part of climbing out the window. But first he turned around and looked down at his friends.
“Goobye fwiends.” He whispered with a salute. They whispered the same back to him.
Finally it was time to go. Smokey grabbed the lights with his teeth and began his descent down the front door and onto the concrete below. He would loosen his grin just enough to slide down slowly. One slip and he could end up falling to his doom to suffer a broken bone or worse.
Smokey was about to reach the bottom when he heard a familiar voice.
“Nuuu!” Onion cried as he fell from above and landed on top of Smokey below him. Luckily he hadn’t fallen far and only knocked the wind out his friend.
“Onion! Smokey hissed, trying to stay quiet. “What ou doin?”
Jester peeked out from above. “Ou two otay?”
“We otay!” Onion replied before answering Smokey. “Onion comin’ too. No wan Smokey gu awone.”
Smokey sighed but knew it was no use. Onion was always following him and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Otay, I guess.” Smokey huffed. “Bu Onion hab to promise he nu get scawed and wun away.”
“Onion Pwomise!” His friend replied with a wag in his tail.
They said goodbye to Jester again and headed off down the side of the building. The building cast a shadow down below for them to hide in as they went. Soon there were at the edge of the parking lot. The bushes looked scary.
“Dis am it.” Onion said, trying not to look scared. “I nebah been dis faw ouside befow.”
“Me eivew.” Smokey admitted. “Wets gu swow and be extwa caweful.